ShotSpotter Announces Contract With South Carolina Research Authority for Birmingham's Gunshot Location System

$1M Justice Grant Will Reduce Crime and Save Lives in Birmingham

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

ShotSpotter, Inc., the world leader in gunshot location systems and technology for public safety and the military, today announced another major US city award for acquisition of the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System (GLS). As a result of a $1 Million grant award from the US Department of Justice, the City of Birmingham will soon join the ranks of other major cities that are protected by ShotSpotter's heralded technology.

ShotSpotter products use patented technology to detect weapons-fire events over large, complex environments. The City of Birmingham's system which is being delivered through a contract with the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), will cover more than six square miles. Utilizing ShotSpotter's telephone based sensor system, the solution will improve the ability of public safety agencies to respond rapidly to gunshot incidents. As a dedicated supporter of crime reduction initiatives for the State of Alabama, Senator Richard C. Shelby spearheaded funding for this project. "We must work to ensure that law enforcement has the most technologically advanced tools available to combat violent crime," noted Senator Shelby. "The ShotSpotter system will provide the Birmingham Police Department with the ability to quickly pinpoint gunfire and move to arrest the offenders."

"I appreciate Senator Shelby providing us with this grant," said Annetta W. Nunn, Birmingham Chief of Police. "We expect this technology, in conjunction with continued community support, will enable us to improve the quality of life for residents in the area where it will be deployed."

"We've seen the positive results of the ShotSpotter program in other cities and we are anxious to bring this technology to the City of Birmingham," stated Pete Cosgrove, Deputy Director, Public Safety and Homeland Security Directorate.

"We are pleased that the Birmingham Police Department has chosen SCRA to team with the premiere leader in gunshot location and detection systems in delivering their cutting edge technology to the City of Birmingham," explained Charles Stephenson, Program Manager, Public Safety and Homeland Security Directorate. "We at SCRA look forward to helping provide a powerful tool that will make Birmingham a safer place to live and work."

ShotSpotter has been delivering patented, state-of-the-art gunshot location and detection systems for more than ten years, and counts more than a dozen operational systems in place today. Agencies using the ShotSpotter GLS have reported that gunfire-related arrests increase by 50%, violent crime rates drop by at least 30%, and gunfire rates have dropped dramatically, by as much as 60-80% depending on the location of the system.

In addition to providing real-time notification of gunshot events, complete with an audio file of the event, ShotSpotter captures information that can be used for later detailed forensic and intelligence analysis of events. Such information can include weapon type and direction of fire analysis, and even information on drive-by shooters on the move. In addition, ShotSpotter GLS interoperates with camera and surveillance systems, crime analysis tools and other dispatching technologies.

"We are very excited about working with the City of Birmingham on their crime fighting initiatives," explained Gregg Rowland, Senior Vice President of ShotSpotter. "This will be the largest gunshot detection and location system deployed in the Southeast and we expect this will have a major impact on the City and will result in a drastic reduction in violent crime.

About South Carolina Research Association (www.isg-scra.org)

South Carolina Research Association (SCRA), Institute For Solutions Generation (ISG)

SCRA creates and leads collaborations that bring innovation to the marketplace. Partners include leaders from industry, government and academia working together to develop technology solutions that no single organization or industry could achieve working alone. Collaboration allows multiple partners to leverage funding, reduce risks and gain a broader perspective. Through a diligent process, SCRA brings together leading-edge technologists in a shared environment of focus, trust, cooperation, expectation, communication, and goal fulfillment. SCRA's skill at leading research and development collaboration has risen to world class recognition. Whether uniting the nation's top researchers to address a compelling government initiative or partnering with private enterprise to improve industrial processes, SCRA's 23 years of successful leadership has yielded a proven process of uniting disparate elements, goals, and origins into a solid, documented approach that works. SCRA translates the individual goals of its clients and partners into beneficial results that enable SCRA, collectively with its clients, its partners, and its fellow collaborators, to advance technology and, just as important, successfully apply it to real-world needs and situations.

About ShotSpotter, Inc. (www.shotspotter.com)

ShotSpotter, Inc., the leading developer of gunshot location systems and technology, is based in Santa Clara, CA. ShotSpotter's flagship product, which detects gunfire across large urban areas using a small number of inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors, currently protects the citizens of cities nationwide, from Los Angeles, CA to Washington, DC. Its products recently assisted the FBI and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in identifying and capturing the Columbus, OH highway sniper suspect. In 2000, ShotSpotter was honored for its technology vision and leadership when it won the Computerworld Smithsonian Laureate Award, having been nominated by William H. Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation, and the Smithsonian added its technology to the museum's permanent collection. With technology covered by numerous patents, the company also offers products to the law enforcement, homeland security and military markets. ShotSpotter technology has consistently produced arrests and weapons confiscations nationwide and has helped reduce gunfire and crime rates in cities that deploy it.

Source: ShotSpotter, Inc.

Released May 1, 2007